1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an operating method in accord with the an arrangement in which a plate of dielectric material carries two electrodes on its one side, a gap therebetween, a third plane or electrode on the other side covering at least the base area of a discharge channel, a laser-active gas in the discharge channel and a switchable high-voltage generator connected to the first two mentioned electrodes. Such a technique for generating laser pulses is disclosed, in general, for example, in Appl. Phys. Lett. 10 (1967) 3.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The cited publication proceeds on the basis of a laser type having the following structure: a dielectric insulating plate, preferably a plastic film, is situated between two metal plates. The upper metal plate of this ribbon conductor is divided into two parts by a gap in which a laser-active gas (nitrogen or neon) is situated. Both parts lie at a positive potential of a few 10 kV, whereas the lower metal plate is grounded. By means of a fast, high-capacity switch, a short-circuit is produced between the one plate part and the lower plate during operation of the laser. A short, steeply rising discharge current wave arises, this running through the ribbon conductor to the gap and initiating a gas discharge there. This plasma then produces the required occupation inversion, whereby the gain is so high that a rather intense laser pulse arises even without optical feedback.
In order to further boost the output power of this super radiator, an attempt can be made to increase the gas pressure p and the discharge voltage U and to simultaneously shorten the current rise time .tau.. The latitude here, however, is relatively small, particularly because the plasma becomes inhomogeneous given an increasing pressure p and/or voltage U and converts into arc discharges having little effect. There are possibilities for making the occurrence of such plasma instabilities more difficult. Thus, it has been envisioned to meander the discharge electrodes along the gap (German OS No. 24 30 241), to provide the cathode surface with a plurality of sharp blades and/or to pre-ionize the gas (Rev. Sci. Instrum. 55 (1984)166). All of these measures certainly improve the quality of the discharge; however, they are relatively involved and also partly require additional space.